New Balance New Machine
Lili is what's hot in Montreal. This week: delving into the back-catalog, New Balance deepens its cultural cache
If the cool factor of New Balance had been slowly simmering over the last few years, 2020 was the year it boiled over. We did it guys, we posted so many pictures of Steve Jobs that we were able to influence sneaker culture. A lot of this newfound cultural cache seems to have been cemented through a gauntlet of quality collabs. The WTAPS and jjjjound 992s set the internet ablaze, as did the beautiful 860s released by Montreal’s own Dime. Personally, this collab made me start paying extra attention to the sneakers coming out of Dime. At the time of writing, I have yet to see a single miss. Of course, the 550s released in conjunction with Teddy Santis’s Aimé Leon Dore were a lovely and chunky excursion into New Balance’s back catalog. Mr. Santis has recently been named Creative Director of New Balance, a very promising sign of things to come.
Collabs aside, 2020 was also the year that the 990, in its various versions, was propelled into it-shoe status. However, many Montreal retailers seem to be looking past big-ticket collabs and the 990. Hot-girl-prep boutique Editorial and grown-man-streetwear shop Rooney have been posting the 530 models that they’ve picked up. Eclectic skate-workwear-film shop Lopez has snagged some ML200RPs. With these shops increasing their selection of back-catalog models, New Balance seems to be deepening its hold on the city’s footwear. As a consequence, chunky sneakers seem to have gotten a second wind. It feels like the wave championed by the Balenciaga Triple S and unfortunately enforced by the Fila Disruptor just ended, but looking around and seeing 990 after 990 on St. Laurent, one concludes that chunkier silhouettes are encore en vogue. It should go without saying that the goths are a tenacious bunch, and thus platform docs have endured.Â
This renewed interest in bulkier silhouettes seems to have fed off of the larger pandemic trend of dressing for comfort in the absence of social pressure. SB Dunk Fatigue is another likely driving force. It would be remiss to talk about sneaker collabs and not mention the absolutely dizzying number of SB Dunk Lows released by Nike in the past year. New Balance was also able to stand out in the crowded sneaker market by making collabs that were… actually good. I remember the depths of the disappointment I felt seeing that the Prada x Adidas collab was… a Superstar with nicer leather. The Dior Jordan 1s are a monument to all things gauche, and Travis Scott continues to be himself. At this point, if you are not in on the current sneaker hype cycle, you are out, and I am very far out and craving literally anything else.
Speaking of literally anything else, Teddy Santis’s appointment to Creative Director of New Balance echoes the appointment of Kiko Kostadinov to the same role at Asics. Gel-Lyte IIIs have their fans, but otherwise, it feels fair to say that Mr. Kostadinov has single-handedly made Asics cool over the past few years. Now both Mr. Santis and Mr. Kostadinov are greatly empowered in their quest to make the coolest dad-shoes out. Speaking of Asics and collabs, fellow gorpy brand Salomon recently made a big splash with a sneaker collab of their own, this time with Toronto retailer and brand Better Gift Shop. Very on-the-pulse streetwear boutique Off The Hook picked up some pairs, and the accompanying mountain-shaped candles to boot.
All in all, New Balance seems to be setting down roots in the sneaker scene here in Montreal. It will be intriguing to see how deep into the back catalog we get and if other brands like Asics get in on the fun. Either way, it seems the summer ahead of us is chunky and comfortable.Â
Thoughts This Week
People are really excited about Shah’s Beta Bar… I’d like to go check it out… but I have a feeling you are not walking out of there spending less than $7… but people really love Shah… it’s well deserved, the Letter Bet is amazing. Roller-skating shop Lowlife MTL is assembling a skate team… cool stuff… I feel like this is the summer that roller-skating really explodes…. Those Braindead skates are so cool.
I welcome all corrections and constructive criticisms. For either, please contact me.